| On Saturday, September 10, the Department attended a dedication ceremony for the 'Empty Sky' 9/11 memorial in Jersey City which honors the 746 New Jersey residents that died in the attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The Department attended the event by special invitation from the Governor's Office. Dignitaries in attendance included: Governor Christie, Lt. Governor Guadagno, mayors, religious leaders and former New Jersey governors, including Tom Kean, Jim Florio, Jon Corzine, former Governor and Mayor of Woodbridge James McGreevey, U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank R. Lautenberg as well as more than 100 members of the New Jersey National Guard.
Firefighter/Commissioner Ken Gardner and Firefighter Jeff Golden attended the ceremony on behalf of the Department and in honor of the 9 Woodbridge Township residents that were lost in the attacks:
James Francis Lynch, 47, Woodbridge, Police Officer, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, WTC
Sankara S. Velamuri, 63, Avenel, Auditor, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, WTC
John Adam Larson, 37, Colonia, Senior Vice President, Aon Corporation, WTC
Tonyell McDay, 25, Colonia, Computer Technician, Marsh Inc., WTC-1, 97th floor
Marlyn C. Bautista, 46, Iselin, Accounts Payable, Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc., WTC-1, 98th floor
Commander Patrick S. Dunn, 39, Fords, Surface Warfare Officer, U.S. Navy, Pentagon
Edward L. Allegretto, 51, Colonia, Convertible Bonds Broker, Cantor Fitzgerald, WTC-1, 103rd floor
Narender Nath, 33, Colonia, WTC
Charles J. Mauro, 38, Woodbridge, Director of Purchasing, Windows on the World, WTC-1, 106th floor
The $12 million memorial sits in Liberty State Park where first responders gathered to launch rescue efforts a decade ago, and many New Jerseyans came to mourn. The memorial's long, parallel walls recall the shape of the Twin Towers as if they were lying on their sides, and are the exact length of the side of one of the towers. When you walk between them your gaze is directed across the Hudson River toward the spot in lower Manhattan where the buildings once stood. The brushed stainless steel of the walls captures the changing reflections of the clouds, weather and skyline and has the names of the victims engraved in 4 inch tall letters inside. At the end of the memorial lie two pieces of steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
Governor Christie spoke from a grassy hill on which 746 flags, one for each of the New Jersey victims, had been placed by local Boy Scouts. Christie told the crowd at Liberty State Park that New Jerseyans would never forget the sacrifices and pain endured by the families who lost loved ones. The governor talked of the loneliness felt by husbands and wives who lost their "life's best friend," and the "unthinkable absence" felt by parents who buried children.
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